She frowned, leaning on the doorframe.
“What can I possibly help with?”
I sighed. The way I worded the next sentence could change one or more lives. Hopefully for the better.
“Someone needs your help, Cass.” I pulled Julie’s number from my pocket. It was just her number on a piece of paper. No name.
She glanced at it, a frown on her face.
“There’s nobody I can help, Adam. I’m just… well, theirs…”
I could see they were practically prowling on the spot now. I was running out of time, and patience.
“Jesus. There’s one person out there who really fucking relied on you, and you disappeared on her. She’s spiralling. She’s losing it. Can you just think of someone other than yourself, for five fucking minutes, and give her a call?”
She gasped, lifting a hand to her face.
“How… how could you say that to me? You know I didn’t leave by choice.”
“Cass, baby? You okay?” One of them made a step in our direction, but she waved them off.
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but Julie. She’s on the edge. It seems she looked to you for a fucking hell of a lot. I can’t tell you how I know all this, but she’s hurting herself. She needs you. Please call her. Don’t mention me. She can’t know I know you. It’d put us all at risk.”
“She’s hurting herself?” Tears filled her eyes. “Cutting again?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an asshole. In my investigations, I’ve come across this information, and I’ve had contact with her. Briefly. It was enough to see that she’s breaking. You’re the only one she could talk to. I’m concerned she might do something more extreme.”
Cass pressed a fist against her mouth, as she started to cry. “My god. I never… I mean, I thought of her… but… I thought she had others she could talk to.”
I saw the Bennetts exchange a glance, and I could tell they were pissed. Monumentally. They could see she was upset. Maybe I’d die for this, but to help Julie, it was more than worth it.
I pressed the paper into her hand. “Call her. Today. Please.”
She nodded, slipping the paper into her jeans pocket. “I will. Thank you.”
I shrugged, backing away as both brothers approached, their faces thunderous.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” One of them snapped, grabbing Cass, and shoving her at his brother. He grabbed my throat, and shoved me against the wall, just as his brother slammed the door. I could hear Cass protesting, but there was no way I was walking away from this.
“Do you remember what we said we’d do to you if you upset her?” He snarled at me, his fists tightening on my throat. I frantically pulled at his hands.
“Come on… uh… Seb? I didn’t do anything to her, I swear!”
He pulled me away from the wall, and slammed me back against it, while I desperately tried to peel his hands away.
“Nobody fucking upsets Cass. NOBODY. She’s ours. You hear me?”
I nodded frantically. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Seb. I just had to… tell her something, that’s all. I didn’t hurt her.”
He leaned way too close, a murderous look on his face. “Well, that’s irrelevant, bruv, because I’m definitely going to fucking hurt you.”
Oh shit. He kept a grip on my throat with one hand, and slammed the other fist into my stomach, making me retch and gasp, as all of the air was pushed out of me.
“Fuckkk.”
“You want to know how many men I’ve killed for less than what you just did? Want to know how many necks I’ve fucking snapped, over the years? It would make absolutely no fucking difference to me if I just killed you now. NONE!”
He threw me on the ground, and kicked me in the stomach, catching my ribs at the same time. Something cracked, and pain erupted.
“Fucking hell!” I gasped, choking, and gripping my chest, as I curled into a ball on the ground.
“Next time I see you, I’ll probably kill you, Adam. And don’t forget, I know where you fucking live too.”
He shot me a final angry glare, and then turned and walked away, leaving me on the ground, curled up and fighting for each breath, the cold in the air making it so much harder to breathe at all.